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Jonathan Benson pitches for Whiteville Post 137 in Monday night’s American Legion baseball game with Stedman Post 62. Benson, who played high school baseball at West Bladen, also had a big night with the bat, getting four hits, including a double.
Staff photos by Mark Gilchrist |
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| Whiteville Post 137 infielder Demichael Smith connects for a hit-and-run single in the first inning Monday. |
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| Whiteville Post 137 first baseman Chris Harris (14) comes off the bag with his eye on advancing runner after taking the throw to put out Stedman’s Bryan Christopher on a sacrifice bunt. Stedman scored two runs in the top of the ninth inning for a 4-3 victory in the Monday night game. |
| Stedman nips Post 137
By DAN BISER Whiteville Post 137 found itself holding the lead for the first time this season Monday when Ben Deans scampered home from third base in the sixth inning on a fielder’s choice ground out by Donovan Watts. The Whiteville team managed to keep the 3-2 lead until the ninth inning when visiting Stedman Post 62 put together four hits that produced two runs and a 4-3 victory. It was the fourth straight loss for Whiteville, which played Wednesday night at Hope Mills and is scheduled to visit Fayetteville Post 4 tonight at 7. Coach Brett Harwood’s Whiteville team is scheduled to play host to Caldwell County on Sunday in a non-league doubleheader beginning at 4 p.m. Stedman got a gutty relief pitching performance by Trey Hill, and lead-off hitter Graham Collier went 4-for-5, including a triple and a double. Stedman had a total of 15 hits. The win put the Post 62 record at 3-2. Jeremy King absorbed the mound loss, throwing in relief of Jonathan Benson. Benson had four of Whiteville’s 12 hits for the night. Donovan Watts and Joseph Hooks each had two hits. The Whiteville offense had difficulty on the basepaths throughout the night as Stedman made six tag-outs on Post 137 base runners, including two pick-offs at first base. Stedman scored a run in the first inning when Collier hit the game’s first pitch for a double, moved to third on a bunt by Bryan Christopher and scored on a single by Paul Horst. Collier ripped a one-out triple in the third inning and ran home on a single by Christopher to up the Stedman lead to 2-0 Whiteville got its first run in the fourth inning when Benson led off with a double and scored on a single by Charlie Gore. Watts reached first on an error in the fifth inning and scored on a Benson single to tie the game at 2-2. Deans led off the sixth inning with a single, moved to second on a bunt single by Chris Harris and went to third on a walk to King. Deans scored when Watts beat the throw to first on a Stedman double play attempt. In the top of the ninth, Stedman loaded the bases on consecutive hits by Tyler Fann, Adam Furr and Collier. A fly-out to deep centerfield by Christopher brought home Fann with they tying run. With two outs, Daniel Maultsby drove a single to regain the lead for Coach Wendell Smith’s Stedman squad. Hill, who had relieved Stedman started Eric McPhail in he fourth inning, retired the side in order in the bottom of the ninth, and Whiteville’s season record dipped to 0-4. Whiteville is competing in the Area 2-West League this season with Stedman, Fayetteville, Hope Mills, Hamlet, Scotland County and Pembroke. The top four finishers will advance to the league playoffs in July.
McPhail, Hill (4) and Furr; Benson, King (6) and Enzor, Stewart (8). |